The Whispers of the Planet
by CloudStrifeLevel99
Summary: 18 months after Sephiroth was stopped, evil is once again breeding in the world. But how long has it been here, and can we stop it?


On the small northern continent, a massive storm rages against all living things, covering everything with a blanket of snow that continues to build. Nothing stirs within the boundaries of the storm, as everything living is either huddled up in a warm burrow or in a deep, protective cave, or else lying dead, frozen solid from the rapid plunge of temperatures the came with the storm.

Intermittently, pale blue flashes of lightning can be seen striking the craggy outcroppings of rock that line the steep mountainsides leading into the interior of the continent. All matter of twisted creatures live on these mountains, but even they, with their fierce intensity and amazing hardiness against the weather, have retreated into secret burrows to wait out the storm. 

In the distance lies the mottled form of the Gaia Cliffs, one of the most beautiful natural formations in the entire world. Deep within these mystical caverns, a traveler waits patiently for the storm to end. He is swaddled in thick clothing that keeps the bitter cold from claming his body, and sits close to a small fire. Every inch of skin on his body is covered in the thick clothing, and the only things visible besides a vague impression of the shape of his body are his eyes.

They are a pale but very deep green, and they portray a coldness that not even the raging storm outside can rival. Here is a man who has no one to love him, a man that has taken everything that life has thrown at him and scoffed at it. Here is a man who has truly lost all humanity, who is as much of a monster as the ferocious creatures who populate the mountains and the very caves that he is traveling. 

As the man stares at the fire that he has built, he is struck with a vision of the future. The vision shows him standing on a steep hill, grassless, and looking down at something below. A smirk lies on his lips, and his eyes glow with some sort of inner power. The scene shifts, and the view he was seeing comes into sight. Below him, several hundred meters away, a town burns with a ferocity that couldn't be natural. People run as the flames greedily consume them. The town is one that he has never been before, but he somehow knows the name, and as the name rolls around in his head, he smiles..

_Wutai..._

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"Oooohhhhhhhh........" a pale faced Yuffie Kisaragi groaned as the improved Highwind made its way back to the small town of Kalm. She was gripping a railing that was bolted into the bulkhead with all of her might, trying to keep from being violently sick.

"Still haven't gotten used to the air travel, Yuffie?" the large stuffed cat, run by a former Shin-Ra employee, named Cait Sith, asked calmly.

"Shut up, Cait Sith. You wouldn't be so calm if you weren't stuff-" Yuffie began, when she was struck with the overwhelming urge to heave. Quickly, she clamped a hand over her mouth and tried not to vomit. Slowly, the urge subsided, and she turned to continue scolding Cait Sith. She had a hand up, index finger in order to emphasize her point, when the ship landed on the ground with a loud _thud_. Yuffie was jarred and almost lost her balance, then was struck with the urge to vomit again. Hand clamped over her mouth, she ran for the nearest exit, Cait Sith currently forgotten.

Outside the ship, the day was a beautiful example of summer. A light breeze is blowing, carrying with it the gentle smells of blooming flowers and the salty spray of the pounding ocean, just a few hundred meters away. The sun was about halfway up in the sky, shining down with its fiery brilliance, keeping things warm but not overly hot.

From the ship came six silhouettes, ranging from a lean and taught leader with large, spiky hair, to a thickly built figure of large stature, to the end, where the large mass of the stuffed cat Cait Sith was. As they moved away from the ship and into better light, the details of the party were brought into focus.

The group was lead by a determined looking young man of around twenty one or twenty two. He was short, a little below the average height, lean but well toned. He exuded the aura of power from his being, and strapped to his back was a massive sword.

Next in line was a lithe female, about the same age as the leader, with long brown hair that flowed past her shoulders. She had the look of a competent fighter, and her hands were covered by stocky boxing gloves. Following her was a massive example of humanity, a thickly built dark skinned man of around his mid thirties. He was well muscled, and his right arm ended at the forearm, and from there on a large, dangerous looking weapon was grafted on.

Behind him was the still pale form of Yuffie Kisaragi, and following her the remote-controlled form of Cait Sith. The party meandered their way through the high grasses of the hill they landed on, and headed toward the small town of Kalm.

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"So why have we come here?" Barret Wallace asks with impatience in his voice.

The team had pulled him away from his adopted daughter Marlene, talking about some kind of trouble brewing. 

"Bugenhagen had a premonition." Cloud Strife, ex-SOLDIER and destroyer of the Jenova-enhanced Sephiroth, told Barret in a measured tone.

"So what the hell we doin' in Kalm?" Barret asks again, this time with a hint of exasperation in his voice. He really doesn't like this.

"Our contact says that someone in Kalm might have info on what Bugenhagen saw." Cloud explained, not loosing his patience. He had known Barret for a while, and had learned just to ignore his explosive temper. Barret was a good guy to have in a fight, so he could put up with most of his stuff.

"Who's our contact?" Tifa piped up, as they walked into mid-town Kalm. The city wasn't very large, but had an inn and several shops. A pleasant place to visit, if not to live in. 

"His name is Mack. He was an informant for Shin-Ra back during the early days." Cait Sith informs the party. "He hasn't been on our payroll for years, but when I contacted him, he was willing to help. For a price, of course."

"And how much did you end up payin' him?" Barret once again interrupts, as they reach the direct center of town. Looking around, Cloud scouts for the best place to find this guy they're looking for. To the north lie several houses right next to each other, and above them lies the business district, although in a town this small that district is more like a section of a few stores.

"Let's head up there." Cloud says, interrupting Cait Sith and Barret, and gestures with his hand to the flight of stairs about two hundred paces ahead of them. Without waiting for a response, he heads off towards the flight. As they climb the flight, Cait Sith whispers to Barret,

"Mack was actually pretty cheap. We only had to pay him ten thousand gil."

"I hope this info was worth it." Yuffie chimes in from the back. "Ten thousand gil is a lot of money, especially now that both Shin-Ra and Midgar are gone. The economy is in shambles, if you haven't noticed. Now we have to worry about the groups vying for power."

"What the hell you talkin' bout?" Barret asks, as his care for politics is somewhat lacking.

"She's talking about The Mafia. And the Neo-Turks." Cloud chimes in, not looking back. "Right after Shin-Ra went down, the remaining Turks evolved into the Neo-Turks. Reno took over after Tseng died. They've been gaining power swiftly over the past year and a half," Cloud explains, not really caring that Barret wasn't in the loop. "The Mafia is a bit more mysterious. They're a group of big money holders who hired a gang of mercenary SOLDIERS to hold down their fort. Now, they're exploiting the vulnerability of surrounding areas to bully large sums of cash from their coffers. Rumor has it they're based near Wutai."

"Which is why we need to check that out!" Yuffie chimes in from the back. She is originally from Wutai, a small oriental city on the far western continent.

"We can check out Wutai after we know what this new threat is, Yuffie." Tifa tries to console Yuffie as Cloud stops in front of a shop.

"We're here. You guys stay here, and make sure he doesn't escape." Cloud says, and before anyone can argue, disappears into the shop.

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The light inside the shop was dark, casting shadows all over the floor and the walls. A faint scent of cigar drifts through the air, and Cloud can see a man sitting behind a large counter. He slowly walks toward the man, his body language exuding confidence.

"Where's Mack at?" Cloud asks, throwing a five hundred gil coin on the table. The man's eyes widen, and a smile cracks on his face. 

"Mack is through there." The man says in a gruff voice as he pockets the five hundred gil. He points his hand towards a curtain, and his smile gets even wider. Cloud looks warily at that smile, and steps through the curtain.

The floor suddenly drops out from below him, and down he falls. The sides of the walls rushed past his head, when suddenly he landed with an _oof! _Luckily, he landed on his feet, and was able to duck out of the way as something went flying over his head. Whatever it had been sparked off the wall and went flying into the darkness.

And dark it was. Right next to where he landed was a lit torch, but that gave off so little light you couldn't see five feet away from it. He squinted into the darkness, but saw no sign of his assailant. 

Suddenly, he felt the flare of a magical aura, and dodged to the right as a ball of flames went soaring past. It hit the wall and exploded, taking out a big chunk of the wall.

"That's enough of that." Cloud says, and summons his magical strength. He uses his materia crystals and releases an attack of bolt 2, and although he misses his enemy, he sees where he is and temporarily blinds him.

And he's an ugly S.O.B. too. Seven foot tall if he is a foot, ashen gray skin, red, slitted eyes and five inch incisors. He is well muscled, and he smells like a trash compactor. His body is also disproportioned, the arms a lot longer than they should be.

"Time to die!" Cloud whispers as he unsheathed his Ultima Sword. Crouching, he bolts forward and up, and slashes the creature across the chest. Then, before it can recover, he pivots around on one foot and cleaves it in half, diagonally. It lets out a mild groan, then falls apart onto the ground.

The danger gone, Cloud wipes the sword off and re-sheathes it. Smiling, he walks toward the darkness, confident he can find Mack.

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"Where the hell is that damn fool?" Barret gripes to the group. "He's been gone for an hour!" 

"Maybe he got lost?" Yuffie says, from her position lying on the ground. She had fallen asleep, and Barret's constant griping had woken her up. 

"I bet he would get-" Barret started when the door to the shop opened up, and Cloud walked out. Before the door shut behind him, Barret could just barely make out a man standing behind the counter, and it looked like he was staring at Cloud like he was a ghost.

"What did you find out?" Tifa asks, her voice tight after she sees the look in Cloud's eyes.

"Nothing good. Come on, we need to see Bugenhagen right now!" Cloud says, heading off toward the Highwind. The rest exchange a worried look, and head off toward Cloud. Under his breath, Barret mutters the word "Shit!"


End file.
